'Best of TBH Politoons'
A Year Ago Today
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader/Teacher Comment
Re: STAR Testing
Wow! I gotta talk to Edd.
You already know how I feel about this silly testing. Today was our last day of it.
I told the kids on the second test of the fourth day of the first week to have fun and rock and roll. They have heard the same directions at least twice a day. The other teacher was shocked, then smiled and said that she would say that next year.
I was recruited by one of the testing companies many years ago. I worked for them on release time, and realized how silly it was. Was offered a huge sum of money to work during the summer. I accepted and then told my 7th grade son to write the questions and we would do the answers together.
As a behavioral science major, I knew that the majority of answers would be either B or the longest answer at that time. We were paid $200 a question. He wrote about four and I wrote about nine.
The money has been long spent, but what fun he and I had. We wrote the most easy questions in math and then made the answers so blatant that the kids couldn't get them wrong.
Guess what? I've seen two of them recently on these tests. But the answers have been moved to A. I guess they might wanted the schools to succeed (wink, wink) or the new patterns that the kids choose have more A's in them then before. So sad.
Marty can tell you how enthusiastic I have been about teaching, but with this No Child Left Behind nonsense, I can't do the job I signed up for in 1966. Yes, 1966.
Got paid $63.50 a week for 60-70 hours of work a week and loved it. Most teachers are doing a great job, but are now so restricted in their job that they don't get to know and respect the kids the way we did forty years ago.
So much for progress. I guess I should have retired when I was offered the package. Parents need to stay on top of this at all times so the kids don't get shortchanged, because the parents are the primary educator of their kids. And we all know, God bless them, the kids are our future.
Marian
Thanks, Marian!
Marian is an old pal, who has helped guide me through the rats maze of regulations & bullshit that currently passes for a California education.
Especially after the realization that my kid's best interest is not a priority of the administration, the principal, or the nice ladies in the school's office.
Dr. Paul's Words Of Wisdom
'Approximately'
A Note from Mr. Hawk
WV Voting
Today I went to vote early for our primary as I may take a little trip the actual day WV holds its primary. What I saw amazed me.
As I waited in line I saw 70+ year old ladies stepping up to the booths. Behind me were 2 kids who said it was their first time voting. We had businessmen and women, some construction workers and some secretaries there. The one common theme was that Bush had to go.
Even the most conservitive person there said Bush had ruined the economy. He said he was voting Deomcratic for the first time in his life. As I left I felt a little renwed. I KNOW that King George is through now.
Dissent is not Terrorism
Freedom is not Legislated
Thanks, Mr. Hawk!
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Humor Gazette
Selected Saturday Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, breezy & cool.
The kid & I were out grocery shopping, so we stopped by the hardware store to see if they had any carnivorous plants to add to his Terrarium O'Death - it's that time of year.
Found a butterwort and an unusual pitcher plant.
Also picked up some more tomato plants, so we'll be playing in the dirt tomorrow.
Tami Silicio, right, is greeted by her niece Liza Perritt, left, and Silicio's friend Amy Katz, center, after Silicio arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Thursday, April 29, 2004, in SeaTac, Wash. Silicio and her husband, David Landry, were fired from their jobs with a military contractor at Kuwait International Airport after The Seattle Times published a photograph earlier in the month that Silicio took of flag-draped coffins of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. The picture shows several workers inside a cargo plane at Kuwait International Airport securing 20 flag-draped coffins for the trip to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Photo by Ted S. Warren
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Headlined Kerry Fund-Raiser
Carole King
Singer Carole King headlined a fund-raiser for Democrat John Kerry's presidential campaign Friday night that his spokesman said brought in $600,000.
"We can win this, but we would like to get people who are not necessarily Democrats to join us," King said to a half-full ballroom. "And the truth is a lot of the people who should be supporting John Kerry - because they are the people who are the most hurt by George Bush - are not there yet."
Carole King
Canadians Who Dislike Bush
82 Percent
More than eight in 10 Canadians harbour a strong dislike for resident George W. Bush, according to a new poll released, hours before Prime Minister Paul Martin was set to meet the US leader.
The survey underscored the highly delicate political territory Martin will encounter in the Oval Office, with a Canadian general election expected within months.
Eighty-two percent of people polled by Ipsos-Reid for CTV and The Globe and Mail agreed with the statement that Bush "is not necessarily a friend of Canada and doesn't really know anything when it comes to Canadian issues."
82 Percent
ABC Spars with Sinclair
'The Fallen'
Fighting back against a seven-city boycott of its "Nightline" roll call of U.S. war dead in Iraq, ABC News said on Friday it would make a special feed of its tribute available to radio and TV stations in markets where the program is being preempted.
Meanwhile, Maryland-based television chain Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. stood by plans to bar its ABC-affiliated stations from airing the Friday night telecast of "Nightline" anchor Ted Koppel reading aloud the names of more than 700 fallen U.S. troops while their photos are displayed.
Sinclair has said the special "Nightline" segment is a politically motivated bid to turn public opinion against America's military presence in Iraq by focusing attention on U.S. casualties there.
Walt Disney Co. -owned ABC and Koppel have defended the planned broadcast as politically neutral, saying their intent was to honor America's war dead and, as Koppel himself put it, "to remind everyone of who these young people are and what they look like."
'The Fallen'
Members of Christies auctioneers staff hold up a 1966 custom-made Vox Kensington quitar, which was given to Alexis Mardas by John Lennon, during a pre-sale viewing at Christies auctioneers in London, Friday April 30, 2004. The guitar is estimated to fetch 80,000 to120,000 pounds (US$135,200 to 202,800), when it goes under the hammer at a pop memorabilia sale on May 5.
Photo by Richard Lewis
Of Pot & Poodles
Robert Altman
US film director Robert Altman told a British newspaper that he smoked cannabis in front of British Prime Minister Tony Blair without any objection at a rock star's party.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Robert Altman -- the 79-year-old director of "Gosford Park" and "Short Cuts" -- said he lit up while dining at rock star Dave Stewart's mansion but added that Blair did not partake.
The director said he was later "disappointed" by Blair's relationship with US resident George W. Bush and thought the prime minister's "cool" attitude was in fact a pose.
Robert Altman
Talks About TV Talk Show
Howard Dean
Former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean is talking to television producers about hosting a talk show.
Dean met this week with executives from Paramount, which produces talk shows such as Judge Judy and Dr. Phil, according to Walker Waugh, a spokesman for Dean's grassroots group Democracy for America.
The potential Dean talk show would not involve politics, said Asher Spittler, assistant to Paramount consultant Larry Lyttle. He said he didn't know what the focus would be.
Howard Dean
Cast Settles Salary Dispute
'Simpsons'
A month after stalled contract renewal talks led the voices of "The Simpsons" to stop work, both the actors and Fox are getting more "D'oh!"
Terms of the deal were not announced for the actors who provide the voices for Homer and Marge Simpson and other characters on the long-running animated series.
Each cast member was seeking about $360,000 an episode, or $8 million for the 22-episode, 2004-05 season, the trade paper Daily Variety reported previously. The actors were earning $125,000 an episode.
'Simpsons'
Hollywood Walk O'Fame
Olsen Twins
Hollywood got two stars for the price of one as 17-year-old twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen shared a new marker on the Walk of Fame.
The event was timed to promote their new film, "New York Minute," which opens in theaters on May 7. The star recognizes their contribution to television.
They will host the season finale of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on May 15.
Olsen Twins
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
NBC Draws on Las Vegas Act
'Father of the Pride'
Jeffrey Katzenberg found his muses - some furry, some flashy - in a Las Vegas showroom.
Long enchanted by magicians Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn and their exotic big cats, Katzenberg drew inspiration for the animated film "The Lion King" and for characters in "The Prince of Egypt."
He drew on the duo's act again when NBC asked him and DreamWorks SKG, the studio Katzenberg co-founded, to develop an animated prime-time series with the satirical edge of DreamWorks' "Shrek."
The result is "Father of the Pride," only the second computer-generated series on prime-time network TV, after UPN's recent "Game Over," and certainly the most expensive: The per-episode cost is reportedly $2 million to $2.5 million.
For more, 'Father of the Pride'
www.siegfriedandroy.com/
Actress Cicely Tyson and actor Clint Eastwood congratulate singer Ray Charles during a ceremony declaring his recording studio a Los Angeles historic landmark near downtown Friday, April 30, 2004. The 13-time Grammy winner's recording studios were built 40 years ago in central Los Angeles and also house his offices and RPM International Inc.
Photo by Dan Steinberg
Scraps Summer Tour
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera has canceled her North American tour plans due to strained vocal chords.
With rapper Chingy in tow, the artist was due to kick off the 28-city run May 13 in Seattle.
According to a statement, doctors advised Aguilera to rest immediately and allow her voice time to recover.
Christina Aguilera
Pleads Innocent
Courtney Love
Rocker Courtney Love pleaded innocent Friday to felony charges that she illegally possessed prescription painkillers.
Superior Court Judge Elden Fox set a hearing for June 4, when a trial date could be set.
Love, 39, came to court in a black trench coat, black pants and gray top. She sat quietly and read a book before she was called before the judge.
Courtney Love
Comes to Afghanistan
'Sesame Street'
The famous puppets of "Sesame Street" will help Afghanistan's children overcome their country's traumatic past, starring in videos to be shown in schools recovering from Taliban rule and decades of war.
The first of 400 education kits, with specially adapted programs featuring Big Bird and other characters, have been given to Afghan authorities, officials said.
"We need our children to have their eyes and their minds opened to new ideas," said Sekander Giyam, an adviser to the Afghan minister of education.
'Sesame Street'
Buddy Guy, Etta James Win Top Honors
W.C. Handy Blues Awards
Buddy Guy and Etta James were the big winners at the W.C. Handy Blues Awards, presented Thursday by the Blues Foundation in Memphis.
Roomful Of Blues took blues band of the year accolades, and the group's horn section won in the instrumentalist category. B.B. King was dubbed blues entertainer of the year. "Doctor Velvet" by Texas singer/guitarist Nick Curran received the best new artist debut award.
Other longtime Handys favorites collecting honors included pianist Pinetop Perkins (traditional blues male artist of the year) and singer Koko Taylor (traditional blues female artist of the year).
W.C. Handy Blues Awards
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Cuts Raise Concerns
Local Radio
Media watchers and consumer advocates are concerned that that ownership consolidation and staff cuts at local radio stations have left them unprepared for emergencies.
The number of local radio news reporters has dropped 30 to 40 percent in the last decade, said Bob Papper, a professor of telecommunications at Ball State University who does an industry survey for the Radio and Television News Directors Association.
"Consolidation has accelerated the decrease," he said.
For more, Local Radio
Slovenian model Vensa poses with her body painted in the European colours before a ceremeony in Nova Gorica, Slovenia April 30, 2004. Slovenia is among ten countries joining European Union on May 1.
Photo by Tony Gentile
Sues Tom Sizemore
Heidi Fleiss
Former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss has sued ex-boyfriend and actor Tom Sizemore, seeking unspecified damages for domestic violence and property she allegedly lost during their volatile relationship.
The lawsuit recounts allegations in the criminal case, including violent incidents in which Sizemore beat Fleiss at the Beverly Hills home they shared.
Heidi Fleiss
Hidden Photos Unravel Tale of Friendship
Ernest Hemingway
In the spring of 1933, Ernest Hemingway had escaped the Depression by taking a borrowed boat to Cuba, where he fished, drank and gathered material for his next novel, To Have and Have Not.
For three weeks, he crawled through bars and bistros with a young Walker Evans, who would soon become known as one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century.
But for decades, the tale of their friendship and influence on one another's work remained hidden away in boxes and crates in the storage room of a Key West bar. So when Benjamin Bruce discovered 46 original photographs taken by Evans in Havana in 1933, he had no idea of what he'd found.
For the rest, Ernest Hemingway
Man Sentenced For Singer's Death
Mia Zapata
The man found guilty of first-degree murder in the 1993 rape-strangulation death of Seattle punk-rock singer Mia Zapata was sentenced Friday to more than 36 years in prison.
The defense had asked that Jesus C. Mezquia, a 49-year-old Cuban national, be sentenced to a standard sentencing range of 20 years to 26 years and six months.
King County Superior Court Judge Sharon Armstrong on Friday cited the extreme nature of Zapata's injuries in issuing the exceptional sentence of 36 years and six months.
Mia Zapata
Russian Museum Exhibit
Rasputin's Penis
The first Russian museum of erotica is opening in St. Petersburg, Russian Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily reports. The museum is founded by Igor Knyazkin, the chief of the prostate research center of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.
Knyazkin told the newspaper that museums of sex and erotica exist in many European countries and he wanted Russia to be a civilized country with a view on the future and with correct views on erotica.
There is one exhibit in the museum which makes Knyazkin be especially proud of. This is the 30-centimeter preserved penis of Grigory Rasputin. "Having this exhibit, we can stop envying America, where Napoleon Bonaparte's penis is now kept. … Napoleon's penis is but a small "pod" it cannot stand comparison to our organ of 30 centimeters…" the head of the museum said.
Rasputin's Penis
Fights to Stay in Cambodia
Gary Glitter
Disgraced British glam rock star Gary Glitter, ordered out of Cambodia due to a conviction for possessing child porn, is fighting to stay in the country, officials said on Friday.
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, spent four months in a British jail in 1999 after being found guilty of downloading child pornography from the Internet.
He has since been hounded out of Cambodia twice by child rights activists and put on an entry blacklist, government officials said, yet he has managed to return to the country which has a reputation as a haven for pedophiles and perverts.
Gary Glitter
A row of bobblehead dolls featuring the name and likeness of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are pictured in an office at Ohio Discount Merchandise Friday, April 30, 2004 in Canton, Ohio. Schwarzenegger's attorney has threatened to sue the small northeast Ohio company unless it stops selling the doll. The company's president, Todd Bosley, said proceeds from the Schwarzenegger bobblehead are going to sarcoma cancer research.
Photo by Haraz Ghanbari
'The Osbournes'
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